Tag: Matuidi

Serie A club Cagliari will not be punished for racist chanting by their fans against Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi, the Italian league said on Tuesday.

Matuidi revealed after Juve’s 1-0 win in Sardinia on Saturday that he had been the subject of racist chanting, with Cagliari issuing an apology to the 30-year-old French player the following day.

But Lega Serie A’s disciplinary report released on Tuesday found that “no determination can be made with regard to Cagliari for the deplorable expressions of racial discrimination of which Juventus player Blaise Matuidi reports he was the subject”.

“No sanction can be brought (because) those expressions were not heard by either the match referee nor by (Italian football federation) FIGC employees, nor filed in the match report.”

After hearing abuse from the stands Matuidi rushed to referee Giampaolo Calvarese but the official ignored his pleas to intervene and Medhi Benatia and Paulo Dybala had to calm their teammate down.

Matuidi was born in France to an Angolan father and a Congolese mother.

Saturday’s abuse follows similar racist chants directed at Matuidi during Juve’s 3-1 win at Verona late last month, for which Verona were fined 20,000 euros ($24,000) by the Italian league.

Elsewhere Napoli were fined 15,000 euros ($18,000) on Tuesday after fans threw firecrackers at visiting Verona fans in last weekend’s game, with Roma fined 10,000 euros for throwing objects onto the pitch, and an additional 3,000 euros for Atalanta’s coaching staff having a laser light shone in their direction.

Atalanta were also fined 5,000 euros after their coach Gian Piero Gasperini relayed instructions to his coaching staff having been banished to the stands.

Serie A club Verona have been fined 20,000 euros ($24,000) for racist chants by their fans toward Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi last weekend.

The abuse of the French international took place as he opened the scoring six minutes into the game which the six-time reigning champions won 3-1.

Sporting Judge Gerardo Mastrandrea ruled on Wednesday that Verona will also have to play one game without spectators in their Curva Sud (South End).

However, as it is the first time this season there have been racist chants the execution of the sanction to close the South End was suspended for a year.

“If during this period a similar violation is committed, the suspension will be revoked and the penalty will be added to that imposed for the new violation, in addition to the fine of 20,000-euro,” a statement issued by the league read.

Matuidi, 30, joined Juventus last summer from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth an estimated 20 million euros.

Paulo Dybala also scored twice in the final 20 minutes of last Saturday’s league game as Juventus stayed a point behind leaders Napoli.